The Bonehunters
The Bonehunters is the sixth novel the Malazan Book of the Fallen epic fantasy series. It was first published in the UK and Canada on March 1, 2006 and in the US in September 2007. There's nothing like sweeping up tag-ends to change the world. The Seven Cities Rebellion has been crushed. Sha'ik slain by Tavore, the Malazan forces pacifying city after city on the troubled subcontinent, and one last rebel army, under the reluctant, embittered command of Leoman of the Flails, is pursued to the ancient and infamous city of Y'Ghatan by Tavore and the Fourteenth Army. Dogged by self-doubt and ill omens, the 14th must lay siege to the city, and Adjunct Tavore must seek to outwit Leoman of the Flails, the deadliest foe she has ever faced. Into this fraught scenario come both new and familiar characters. Among the latter, Heboric Ghost Hands, journeying to redress an old wrong. Apsalar, haunted by possession and now the principal agent of Cotillion, Patron of Assassins, marking a trail with blood and dripping daggers. Cutter, the killer who had once been a thief in Darujhistan, fleeing a shattered heart. Karsa Orlong, a warrior hunting his destiny. And two old friends, traveling companions, Mappo and Icarium, wandering once more the ravaged wastelands, Icarium seeking the ancient truths of his own life, Mappo seeking to keep those truths from him, at all costs. All, searching for such fates as they might fashion with their own hands, guided by their own will. If only the gods would leave them alone. Alas, the gods are disinclined to be kind, now that knives have been unsheathed, and there shall be war, war in the heavens. Dramatis Personae The Malazans * Empress Laseen, ruler of the Malazan Empire * Adjunct Tavore, commander of the Fourteenth Army * Fist Keneb, division commander * Fist Blistig, division commander * Fist Tene Baralta, division commander * Fist Temul, division commander * Nil, a Wickan warlock * Nether, a Wickan witch * T'amber, Tavore's aide * Lostara Yil, aide to Pearl * Pearl, a Claw * Nok, Admiral of the Imperial Fleet * Banaschar, an ex-priest of D'rek * Hellian, a sergeant in the city of Kartool * Urb, a city guard in Kartool * Brethless, a city guard in Kartool * Touchy, a city guard in Kartool * Quick Ben, High Mage in the Fourteenth Army * Kalam Mekhar, an assassin * Grub, a foundling Selected Soldiers of the 14th Army * Captain Kindly, Ashok Regiment * Lieutenant Pores, Ashok Regiment * Captain Faradan Sort * Sergeant Fiddler/Strings * Corporal Tarr * Cuttle * Bottle * Koryk * Smiles * Sergeant Gesler * Corporal Stormy * Master Sergeant Braven Tooth * Maybe * Lutes * Ebron * Sinn * Crump * Sergeant Balm * Corporal Deadsmell * Throatslitter * Masan Gilani Others * Barathol Mekhar, a blacksmith * Kulat, a villager * Nulliss, a villager * Hayrith, a villager * Chaur, a villager * Noto Boil, company cutter (healer) in Onearm's Host * Hurlochel, an outrider in Onearm's Host * Captain Sweetcreek, an officer in Onearm's Host * Corporal Futhgar, an officer in Onearm's Host * Fist Rythe Bude, an officer in Onearm's Host * Ormulogun, an artist * Gumble, his critic * Apsalar, an assassin * Telorast, a spirit * Curdle, a spirit * Samar Dev, a witch of Ugarat * Karsa Orlong, a Teblor warrior * Ganath, a Jaghut * Spite, a Soletaken and sister to Lady Envy * Corabb Bhilan Thenu'alas * Leoman of the Flails, last leader of the rebellion * Captain Dunsparrow, Y'Ghatan city guard * Karpolan Demesand, Trygalle Trade Guild * Torahaval Delat, a priestess of Poliel * Cutter, once Crokus of Darujhistan * Heboric Ghost Hands, Destriant of Treach * Scillara, refugee from Raraku * Felisin the Younger, refugee from Raraku * Greyfrog, a demon * Mappo Runt, a Trell * Icarium, a Jhag * Iskaral Pust, a priest of Shadow * Mogora, a D'ivers * Taralack Veed, a Gral and agent of the the Nameless Ones * Dejim Nebrahl, a D'ivers T'rolbharal of the First Empire * Trull Sengar, a Tiste Edur * Onrack the Broken, an unbound T'lan Imass * Ibra Gholan, a T'lan Imass * Monok Ochem, a T'lan Imass bonecaster * Minala, commander of the Company of Shadow * Tomad Sengar, a Tiste Edur * Feather Witch, a Letherii slave * Atri-Preda Yan Tovis (Twilight), commander of Letherii forces * Captain Varat Taun, officer under Twilight's Command * Taxilian, an interpreter * Ahlrada Ahn, a Tiste Andii spy among the Tiste Edur * Sathbaro Rangar, Arapay warlock Plot Summary Prologue The Bonehunters begins in the year 1164, of Burn's Sleep, in Kartool, twenty-four days after the execution of Sha'ik. Banaschar arrives from Malaz Island and sends a note with via a messenger to Sergeant Hellian. He instructs her guard contingent to break into the Temple of the Queen of Dreams, where they find "splashes of blood on the walls, fragments of meat scattered on the tiles, and pools of bile, blood and faeces." Banaschar has disappeared, none of the guards can remember what he looks like, and Hellian predicts that they will be reassigned somewhere, most likely dangerous. A group of twelve Nameless Ones surround the barrow of Dejim Nebrahl. Each of the twelve calls a Warren to release Dejim Nebrahl from where the T'lan Imass Bonecasters bound him. Sister Spite calls on Starvald Demelain to release Dejim, and then shifts into a her dragon form and escapes. Dejim eats the other eleven Nameless Ones. Taralack Veed sees Sister Spite escape and prepares to track Dejim Nebrahl. A group of five T'lan Imass approach a very small, run down community nominally headed by Barathol Meckar, who is nearly blind. He tells two of the villagers to retrieve his armor and weapons, which he puts on, after which the T'lan Imass approach. Book One: The Thousand-Fingered God Chapter 1 An unnamed woman enters Ehrlitan via the east gate. After entering a tavern, the tavern keeper questions whether she is attached to Dujek's army, to which she answers "I belong to no army." She gets drunk, and goes upstairs to go to sleep. Leoman of the Flails has been cursing the Holy Book of Dryjhna for hours, muttering to himself, but the wind makes it so only Corabb Bhilan Thenu'alas can hear. Corabb becomes so exhausted by the tirade that he falls back to ride with the rest of Leoman's army, which is fleeing the Malazan army commanded by Tavore. Corabb thinks about the state of Seven Cities (citizens turning each other in as criminals), and eventually realizes that without his commander, he would be lost. Seconds later, Leoman gestures for Corabb, and asks him where they are. Samar Dev is lying in the shade of her wagon tormenting ants on an unused road through the Ugarat Odhan, thinking she is dieing. Karsa Orlong rides up on Havok, dismounts, and converses with her. She admits that she kicked a wheel of the wagon after it broke down, and in doing so, broke her foot. When Karsa helps her stand so she can get on Havok, she glances behind the horse and sees the heads of two of the Deragoth attached to the other end of the rope that leads from Karsa's hand. Karsa tells Samar that he wants to enter Ugarat beneath notice. The unnamed woman (now known to be Apsalar) in the tavern awakens, and "weeps for the man she had abandoned". She tells herself that she is not worth the overwhelming gift of love. She realizes that Cotillion understood that she could not allow Crokus (now Cutter) to love her. Apsalar goes down to the stairs to eat, and is approached by two Pardu women, who tell her that a group of Gral men want her to dance for them. She replies that they really don't because she is a Shadow dancer. Later, Apsalar leaves the tavern, enters an shadowed alley, which is a small portion of the warren of Shadow, and disappears. She is followed by the two Pardu women, who now cannot see her. One comments that they need to inform their new master that "She truly walks the shadows." Apsalar continues in the Shadow Realm, noticing that Cotillion's memories do not know of this manifestation of the warren. On her way to the center of Ehrlitan, she encounters two corpses in shackles, and upon stopping to investigate, a pair of shades rise from the bodies and speak to her in Tiste Andii. Apsalar is surprised that she understands them and that she is being warned off from stealing the bodies. The shades are Curdle and Telorast, who admit that they encountered the "new" master of the House of Shadow, as well as the Hounds of Shadow, and Edgewalker, among others. Apsalar tells them that she will escort them to a gate, and walks away. Leoman of the Flails's command arrives at a well. Corabb Bhilan Thenu'alas thinks to himself that if not for Leoman, he would have long ago deserted the rebels. Corabb pulls out some food, and eats, while Leoman questions the purpose of his own command. Corabb says that he is destined to carry the Holy Book of Dryjhna, and that even though Dryjhna is dead, that she is more than just a goddess, that she is as much a time as anything else. Corabb believes that Leoman's command is the Apocalypse, and that they are desined to show the world the truth of that. The conversation swiftly becomes nonsense, as the "food" Corabb ate was a dead toad. He walks off thinking that the encampment contains a host of oversized vultures. Karsa Orlong and Samar Dev enter Ugarat, but are told that they cannot bring the two heads into the city. Karsa responds by throwing one of the guards into a cart, knocking him unconscious. The other guard runs to get reinforcements. Karsa and Samar start towards a inn, and Samar warns the growing crowd off from following by threatening them with a curse. When the guards and their captain catch up to Karsa and Samar, Samar claims that Karsa is a spirit, and that the heads are trophies. When the captain asks Karsa if Samar is telling the truth, he tells them that he was Sha'ik's bodyguard, that the rebellion has broken, that the Malazans have retaken cities, and in response to the guard captain saying that Leoman still is alive and has vowed to fight on, that Leoman ridees his own path, and not to put faith in him. Apsalar, Telorast, and Curdle stand in front of a gate, conversing. The shades ask Apsalar her name, but when she tells them, Curdle shrieks "She's dead! I knew you were a ghost!". Telorast corrects Curdle by saying that the real Apsalar was Imass. Apsalar announces over Telorasts and Curdle's conversation (which has gone on a sharp tangent) that the gate leads to Jen'rahb, but Telorast and Curdle could end up in Hood's Realm. Curdle starts proclaiming how powerful they were when alive; Apsalar, being frusterated, walks through the gate, followed closely by Telorast and Curdle. Apsalar ends up having to threaten them with informing Cotillion that they have escaped to make them stay so she can complete what she came to Jen'rahb to do. As she walks, Apsalar considers the shades and her surroundings. All of the permanent features of the Shadow Realm are covered in unbreakable chains, and there were bodies shackled to the chains. Apsalar enters the temple, her destination. She smells blood, and finds a body on the ground: Mebra, her target. She sees a movement, and ducks as a throwing star flashes over her. She stands to see a veiled Semk man, with white tattooes covering the dark skin around his eyes. He attacks, and Apsalar kills the man. She cuts his clothing off, to discover that he is covered in the tattooed script, the language of the First Empire. She rolls him over to find that the Semk's right shoulder, where his name was once been, was covered in a dark rectangle. He was a priest of the Nameless Ones. Now alone, Curdle asks Telorast if they are going to stay with Apsalar, to which Telorast reponds that Edgewalker will be unhappy with them if they don't. She says, "Until we can find a way to get out of this mess." Curdle asks if she means cheat them all. Telorast says yes, and Curdle says, "Good. Because I want my throne back." Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Book Two: Beneath This Name Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Book Three: Shadows of the King Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Book Four: The Bonehunters Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Epilogue pl:Łowcy kości Category:Malazan Book of the Fallen